Opening weekend of gun deer season, conditions were nearly perfect. The weather was cool, but not too cold. The sun came out and warmed us. A light dusting of snow made it easy to see critters’ tracks from the night before.

“Hard to wrap my head around,” the woman shared as she considered Foxconn. Just what do big budget decisions mean to us?

Work has begun on crafting the next state budget. Over the next few months, this work will continue in earnest. One hefty unbudgeted expense added to upcoming budget math is a large taxpayer funded payment to a foreign corporation.

Thursday night Matt Rothschild of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and Dr. K. Zagorski spoke in a forum on fair maps and gerrymandering in Menomonie. The discussion, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Greater Chippewa Valley clarified the history and current status of gerrymandering in Wisconsin, and what can be done to move forward. Wisconsin currently has one of the most gerrymandered voting maps in the country.

The League of Women Voters of the Greater Chippewa Valley sponsored a candidate forum on October 22 at Bloomer Middle School. Rob Summerfield and Wren Keturi fielded a wide array of questions submitted by the audience, which numbered approximately 35. This video will be the last of our video coverage of area candidate forums.

Please keep the candidate responses to the questions in these forums and in the various voter questionnaires in mind when you vote on Nov. 6.

What happens to state money given to companies to create jobs? Do the jobs get created? How do we ensure the money is not misspent?

These questions came to mind as I recently communicated to a constituent who feared state economic development money was being misused. I encouraged, among other actions, a call to the Legislative Audit Bureau’s Fraud, Waste and Mismanagement Hotline (877-372-8317).

“I talked with a group of women in Galesville,” my friend Mary Lee told me. “They were full of questions about the election, like when is it, where do I vote, how do I find out if I’m registered?” Mary is one of many folks helping to make sure people know and when to vote.

Candidates from western Wisconsin participated in a forum on voting in Wisconsin. Issues discussed included automatic voter registration, voting by mail, election security, gerrymandering, and more. The candidates invited had all pledged to support automatic voter registration in Wisconsin, in an attempt to increase participation in voting. It should be noted that the candidates were all representatives of the Democratic Party, the Green Party, or Independent.

The Wisconsin DNR will not fine Hi-Crush Proppants for the May spill of mining sludge that polluted area property and flowed into the Trempealeau River. The DNR will not levy the fine because state law allows WPDES permits to be violated in the case of an emergency (and in this case the side of the pond was breached to save the life of an operator who had fallen into the pond).

Dr. Ted Auch spoke at the Eau Claire Grassroots Festival about the current status of fracking, frac sand mining in Wisconsin, and what we can expect in the future. The slide deck from his talk is attached to this article. Please note that the audio quality is sketchy as there was a fairly loud presentation going on in the next room, and the room dividers in this building are not great for sound isolation.

Wis.Community recently held a screening of the film Dark Money in Downsville. This film will be shown Monday, Oct. 1 on PBS stations nationwide (the first showing will be at 9 PM Monday night). The film will also become available for streaming after the national premiere.

Fairmont Santrol and Unimin merged in June to form a new company called Covia. Today Covia announced that they are reducing their frac sand production from 36 million tons per year to 32 million tons. This is primarily because many production companies are postponing fracking wells while waiting for more pipeline infrastructure.

Yesterday, December 18

“You all lie, steal and cheat,” the Sparta woman told me. I did not know her, and when I disagreed, she said “Well, you will.”

Then she smiled and handed me a piece of the chocolate bar she was eating.

The year was 2006. I was a rookie candidate passing out literature at the Butterfest parade. I don’t think I will ever forget that woman.

Just the act of having a brief conversation caused something to soften in her. Listening to constituents is a powerful act. By itself, listening can heal.

As my twelve years in the Senate comes to a close, I reviewed conversations with constituents over the years. My Senate records show that we logged 70,662 contacts with constituents.

These people came forward with their problems, opinions, knowledge and good wishes. They taught me much about people’s lives and what people care enough about to contact my office. Many more people shared stories, concerns and feelings with me as I traveled.

People care about their family and their neighborhood. They want a great place to live, work and raise a family. They want healthcare for their family, a great education for their kids and grandkids, and safe communities.

People want to cross the railroad tracks to go ice fishing. They want the roads and bridges fixed. They want to know they can rely on SeniorCare for help with prescription drug costs. People are concerned about the rising cost of health insurance. They want to know why Minnesota residents get the same health insurance coverage for less money. People don’t like legislation that took away local powers.

Over the years, I saw patterns in the types of contact we received. Agriculture, healthcare, better funded schools, money for universities and technical colleges, programs for children and families were all reoccurring themes in my conversations with constituents.

As I examined the contacts I received over 12 years, I was a bit surprised to learn the number one issue was natural resources. Almost 15,000 people contacted me about our environment. There were many sides of the issue including, hunting and fishing, water and air quality, sand, sulfide and iron ore mining, and high capacity wells.

We live in a place of breath-taking beauty. People want to protect our part of the world. They are willing to take time from their busy schedule, move outside their comfort zone,...